Wildlife tagged posts

Dudhwa: A Jungle Odyssey

Farewells can almost always be bitter sweet. A long time colleague just resigned. As is the custom, we planned an offsite farewell for him. The place chosen was Dudhwa National Park- primarily because we have been to Corbett so many times. The other thing that worked in Dudhwa’s favour was that it is home to the Great Indian Rhino. We have done umpteen safaris as a team, and the tiger has proven to be elusive except just once. So with high spirits, we set off on the 400+ km journey to Dudhwa.


The route we took

The drive to Dudhwa from Noida is a long, mundane drive but the company of colleagues and friendly banter kept the josh high for most of the drive...

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The Tiger Experience

If you are familiar with this blog, you would be able to guess that I absolutely dig opportunities that let me travel to one of the many national parks in India. These nature reserves preserve and showcase the unparalleled biodiversity that India possesses. The dizzying array of flora and fauna in the Indian jungles can be represented by one iconic animal – the Royal Bengal Tiger. The sight of a tiger cooling off in a water hole, confident and unfettered, and then walking with a nonchalant swagger, that only the powerful can have, and turning his gaze at the beholder for the last time before disappearing into a bush as if to say “Hey! What’s so interesting? I am just being a tiger”, evokes emotions so profound that are indescribable in words...

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Beautiful Bandhavgarh!

Bandhavgarh is popular as the tiger haven of India. A national park where almost every visitor is guaranteed a tiger sighting. People throng here in the hundreds to see the world’s largest cat in it’s natural habitat. This park has been the scene where some of the most iconic tiger documentaries have been made. It is also the home of Bamera, India’s largest tiger. I had the opportunity to visit Bandhavgarh earlier this month. It was a trip full of bitter sweet moments. The generally benevolent tigers of Bandhavgarh did not oblige but I was blown away by the sheer natural beauty of the environs here.

I had booked two jungle safaris for my stay here. I must say there was never a dull moment in those 8 hours I was inside the reserve...

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On The Tiger Trail (Yet Again!)

My fascination of wild cats (of the feline kind) knows no bounds. And somehow, despite the taxing work schedule I have, the stars have been mysteriously aligning themselves to make such trips possible. The reason for the trip was, again, a farewell to a team member. The jungle, however, wasn’t the same. This time, we decided to take our tiger quest to Ranthambore.

Ranthambore, is a very different tiger habitat from Corbett. The forest is dry and the days warmer. However, there are pockets of dense green jungles. The undulating landscape, the ancient hills, the numerous lakes and the deep ravines all combine to create a beautiful and surreal environment. It is not surprising that the king of the jungle resides in those beautiful environs.

A beautiful sunrise at Ranthamboreof Ranthambore

A beautiful sunrise at Ranthambore

We arrived at Ran...

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The Call Of The Wild

I had signed off my previous post with the resolve to be back in Gir for a rendezvous with the Asiatic lion. So when I had a chance to visit Gir a couple of weeks back, I jumped on the opportunity. The forest looked pretty much the same except for the fact it was quite hot. But I am happy to report that the trip was not in vain. I was able to spot two of the last remaining 411 wild asiatic lions in the world. It was an amazing experience. With these sightings, I have now seen two of India’s biggest cats in their natural habitat. The leopard and the snow leopard still elude me. Hopefully, they will also oblige me someday.
So without much further ado, behold the jungle of Gir and its residents in all their glory:

The tented accommodation where we spent the night amidst lions calling in the distance

The tented accommodation where we spent the night amidst lions calling in ...

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